Disposable cap



May 19, 1970 M. J.- OSBORNE DISPOSABLE CAP Filed Jan. 19, 1968 Marv/n J. Osborne INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,512,181 DISPOSABLE CAP Marvin J. Osborne, Casper, Wy0., (P.O. Box 1822, Salt Lake City, Utah 84410) Filed Jan. 19, 1968, Ser. No. 699,136 Int. Cl. A42b 1/02 US. Cl. 2-495 1 Claim ABSTRAQT OF THE DISCLOSURE A snug-fitting one-piece cap without a peak. It is used a single time, is made of disposable cloth or paper, can be economically discarded. It features a crown portion marginally bordered by a depending head encircling rim having a hem and drawstring and an inverted V-notch at its rear. The free ends of the drawstring can be tied to hold the cap in place. A sponge rubber insert at the front provides a perspiration absorbing pad.

This invention relates to a single use throw-away paper or equivalent peakless cap preferably, but not necessarily, provided with a built-in or self-contained sponge providing a perspiration absorbing and take-up pad, and having drawstrings to tighten and retain the conformable rim around the wearers head.

Briefly, the over-all cap is characterized by a suitably contoured and generally flat top portion herein set forth as the crown and an integral body portion which marginally encompasses the crown portion and provides a depending rim. This rim is of substantially the same width circumferentially and is adapted to snugly fit the portions of the head contacted thereby when the cap is being worn. The rim has a front portion interiorly provided with a sponge rubber or an equivalent pad. This pad covers the brow of the wearer and serves as a perspiration intercepting and absorbing pad. With this pad the wearer will not have to mop his brow repeatedly as is often the case when he is bothered with profuse perspiration difficulties. The diametrically opposite rear portion has an inverted V-shaped notch which renders the rim circumferentially adjustable so that one cap can be us d to fit heads of different sizes. It is within the purview of the invention to join the edges of the notch together by using drawstring or, alternatively, Velcro fasteners in lieu of the drawstrings.

It will be evident that a cap such as that shown and hereinafter described with particularity lends itself to feasible use by a surgeon when called upon to operate under stress and strain and heat radiating light in that it can be used a single time and then discarded. The built-in sponge lends itself to advantageous use and minimizes the need for constant mopping of a profusely perspiring brow.

A general object of the invention is to structurally, functionally and in other ways improve upon economically disposable caps by providing one which should doubtless appeal to manufacturing economies of manufacturers, to advertising and other purposes of retailers, and the needs of surgeons, nurses and others who will no doubt advocate the adoption and use of this unique cap.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of a disposable cap constructed in accordance with the invention and showing the manner in which it is designed and adapted to be used by a wearer.

FIG. 2 is also a view in perspective observing the rear- 3,512,181 Patented May 19, 1970 ward portion on the rim of the cap and showing the manner in which the free ends of the drawstring can be tied or knotted together to adjustably tighten and retain the cap.

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view on a suitably enlarged scale of the cap by itself.

FIG. 4 is a detailed section taken on the plane of the section line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

R ferring now to the views of the drawing with reference numerals the improved cap is denoted by the numeral 6. This cap is made from a single piece of appropriate sterile disposable paper or cloth and is of the flat-top snug-fitting shape shown. It can be assumed that, for the most part, a sanitary type appropriate grade of paper will be used with the idea that each cap could be collapsed, folded or otherwise made compact and stored in an equally sterile envelope and thus made ready for hospital or whatever other use desired. The top portion 8 is of general ovate shape and provides a suitable crown. The encompassing and depending part is designated as a head encircling rim and embodies a front or forward portion 10, a diametrically opposite rearward portion 12 and opposite sides or temple portions 14. The rearward portion 12 is provided with a V-shaped notch 16 (FIG. 3) having converging edge portions 18 which can be drawn together overlapped and fastened in any suitable manner. For example the edges could be connect d by Velcro fasteners (not shown). Primarily however the notch renders the rim portion adjustable and is usually drawn together and retained by way of a drawstring. The drawstring is denoted generally at 20 in FIG. 3 and is threaded through an appropriate hem 22 constituting the encircling bottom edge 24 (FIGS. 1 and 2). The free end portions 26 of the drawstring project and have their terminals knotted together as at 28. A second knot 30 may be utilized in the manner shown in FIG. 2 to tighten the overall cap and to close the notch 16 as best illustrated in FIG. 2.

Although it is within the purview of the invention to omit the sponge feature it is preferably utilized in the manner and for the purposes shown and described. This is to say a substantially segmental sponge rubber cushion or pad 32 is provided. The lower edge 34 of the pad is flush with the cooperating bottom edge 24 as shown in FIG. 4. The upper curved edge'is conformable, generally speaking, to the forehead of the wearer and is denoted at 36. This pad, being of absorbent material serves to absorb and pick up profuse or excess perspiration and therefore provides the aforementioned anti-mopping feature.

It is submitted that a cap constructed in a manner herein shown and described Well serves the purposes for which it is intended. Accordingly, a more extended description is deemed to be unnecessary.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling Within the scope of the invention.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A closely and conformably fitting single-use cap designed and adapted for acceptable use by a surgeon in an operating room, said cap being made of a single piece of flexible sterile disposable material capable of being collapsed, when not in use, into compact form for convenient packaging and on-the-spot handling, said cap embodying, when in use, a substantially flat single ply crown portion and an integral depending head encircling rim attached thereto, said rim portion having a forward portion, a rearward portion and in-between side portions capable of snugly contacting the wearers temples, said rim being of uniform vertical height from end to end, a

median rear part of the rear portion of said rim having an inverted V-shaped notch formed therein and extending up to said crown portion, said rim having a bottom edge provided with a hem having rearward ends which are open and spaced apart, and a drawstring threaded through said hem and having free ends projecting through and beyond the rearward open ends of said hem and capable of being tied or otherwise connected in a manner to draw and join the confronting edges of the V-notch together said forward rim portion is provided interiorly with a forehead contacting perspiration absorbing sponge, said sponge being substantially segmental in marginal outline and of a length commensurate with the length of said forward portion, said sponge having a lower edge which is substantially straight from end to end and flush with a coacting edge portion of said hem and having a curvate upper marginal edge, the uppermost portion of said marginal edge terminating at a level below the level of that portion of the crown which is above and cooperable there- UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,262,104 4/1918 Schwerdtle 2198 XR 1,495,313 5/ 1924 Varginoff et al. 2198 1,907,709 5/1933 Barrow 2171 2,193,271 3/1940 Cowherd 2-17l 3,249,948 5/1966 Eppolito 2-198 FOREIGN PATENTS 339,544 4/1904 France. 1,030,093 5/1966 Great Britain.

MERVIN STERN, Primary Examiner G. H. KRIZMANICH, Assistant Examiner 

